


The Bright Future Ahead

by Katt_Venus



Series: Shadows Past/Future Light [3]
Category: Shadows Past/Future Light
Genre: Death, F/F, F/M, Human Experimentation, Mild Language, Multi, Violence
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-10-03
Updated: 2019-10-04
Packaged: 2020-11-23 01:14:16
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 3
Words: 2,371
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20883737
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Katt_Venus/pseuds/Katt_Venus
Summary: Take a look into Erica Ruvian's life, and learn the dark secrets hidden from the spotlight. It's time to look towards the bright future that lies ahead...





	1. New Day, New Beginning

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [A Cop to the Madness](https://archiveofourown.org/works/11556627) by [Mikey_Jameson](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mikey_Jameson/pseuds/Mikey_Jameson). 
**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's the start of a new day, and the signal of a new beginning... Take a look into Erica's life, and find out what exactly she knows about SOMBRA.

**NOTE: THIS IS A LARGE WIP. THIS CURRENT STORYLINE WILL BE REWRITTEN**

There once was a young girl, who was thrust into the spotlight after her parent's success. She eventually rose to power as well, and was well known throughout the world. Take a look into her life, and discover the dark secrets hidden from the spotlight. _Please note this story mentions mild language, slight mention of human experimentation, themes of violence or death! This story also starts in the same time frame as the last two chapter of the previous work in the series!_

There was a knock at the door and a figure walked in. “Good morning.”

The woman standing in front of the board smiled, “Morning to you too Drew. Why are you here early?”

Andrew wrapped his arms around her and smiled, “Well the conference is coming up in a few days.”

Another knock came from the door and Tyler walked in, “Morning Eri.”

“Oh is everyone coming to visit now?” Erica asked.

Tyler smiled, “I was coming to check up on you, but it looks like Drew beat me here. By the way, didn’t you hire someone new recently?”

As if on cue, there was yet another knock at the door and Erica smiled. “I actually hired two people.”

Mark walked in, “Oh sorry, am I interrupting something?”

Erica shook her head and shooed everyone out of the room, leaving her alone with Mark. She motioned towards the couch, and he took a seat. He fidgeted in his seat as she sat down across from him, “I heard about what happened.”

“Yeah, it was a pretty bad accident.” Mark sighed.

“An accident you say? Of course that’s what they’d call it.”

“What do you mean?”

She smiled, “Let’s just say, Tyler and I have been watching SOMBRA for the past few years.”

“And why would you do that?”

“Surely you’ve heard the rumors. Supposedly one of the top companies in human genetics was performing unorthodox experiments, and on children nonetheless.”

“I can assure you that’s not what happened!”

She looked at him carefully, “Whatever you say. Anyways, there was one more person we were waiting on, but it seems he’s late.”

“So why did you call me here?”

“I like to know my employees. See unlike SOMBRA I actually care about the people working with me.”

“And you seem to have a fascination with them. Mind if I ask why?”

She thought for a moment and then shook her head, “Nothing too special. How is Katt doing anyways, it’s been what, four months since...well you know.”

“She’s still asleep…” Mark sighed. “Why are you curious about her?”

“I was excited to work with her, and a day after our meeting she falls into a coma? Sounds a bit strange if you ask me.”

Mark stood up, “If this is all we’ll be talking about, I think I’ll take my leave.”

“Fine then, what do you want to chat about?”

He sighed and sat back down in the chair. “What’s this big conference coming up? I keep hearing about it, but no one told me what it really is.”

“Ah, I thought Drew was going to tell you. Anyways, whenever we have a big update to one of our companies, or a new partner joining us, like you, we hold a press conference of sorts.”

“Why?”

She leaned back in the chair, “Well I’m sure people will be curious as to what your company is, and why we chose you out of all the others.”

“So is that the only thing the conference is about?”

“Of course not. Tyler is coming out with more advanced technology, and AVA has been shut off for a good six months now, while we improve the system. After all, we have to work in code from Navi to make sure the security system is good to go.”

“I see. So when is it exactly?”

“It’s a month from today. I called you here to help you prepare for the conference, since you’ve never been to one before.”

“Ahh. So where do we get started?”

There was a knock at the door and she smiled, as a man walked in. Mark looked over in confusion, “Wait, why are you here?”


	2. The Dead Risen

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Someone is back from the dead, but what are they doing here, and what happened exactly?

“What do you mean? I work here.” Luke sat down next to Mark and smiled over at Erica, “You called?”

“Yeah, I was catching him up on the upcoming conference.”

“Ahh right. Is that why you had me come all the way from Elysium?”

“Yes, I’ll need all hands on deck to get him ready. I’m sure you can help, since you two know each other very well?”

He smiled, “Sounds good.” 

She stood up and walked over to a board, turning it on. Mark was amazed, even though he has seen it before, as it looked like it was floating in the air. Luke stretched on the couch, “So who’s going first?”

“Tyler first, Mark’s up next, and then I’ll go last.” She said, pulling up a diagram. 

Mark looked over, “So what are we supposed to talk about?”

Erica motioned for him to come over, and he walked over towards the board. She moved over to the side and he looked at the board. “What is all of this?”

“Our statistics from six months ago, before we shut off AVA for maintenance.”

Luke walked up and wrapped an arm around Mark’s shoulder. “The goal is to make sure that after the release of AVA’s update, they go down rather than up.”

She nodded and looked over at Luke, “Well now I know why you were late. Drinking isn’t good for your health.”

He glared at Erica, “Yeah well I’m stressed, especially when my fiance is in a coma.”

She was silent and Mark was the first to speak, “How did you know about that?”

Erica touched the board once more, and turned away from them. “I told you, I know everything that happens in SOMBRA.”

Luke smiled, “We should go out later for drinks. Are you coming Em-”

“No, I’m busy.”

He pouted, “You’re always busy.” 

“And it seems like you’re always drunk.” She shot back. “I didn’t hire you to lounge around.”

“I’ve been doing my job, mind you.”

She pulled up another diagram and looked over at him, “Explain this then. Last month your numbers were fine, but now they’re dropping again.”

Luke stood up straight, and crossed his arms. “I’ve had a rough month, that’s all.”

“Get it together Leroux. You are dismissed.”

“But-”

“I said you are dismissed, now leave.” She said, her voice harsh.

He quietly turned and walked out, as Andrew walked in. Her voice was quiet as she spoke, “Mark, you can go now. We’ll chat later.”

Mark left the room, gently closing the door behind him. Andrew walked over and handed her a cup, “Are you okay?”

She nodded and took a sip, “Yeah. Is Tyler on the way?”

“Yes, he was leaving the house when I talked to him a few minutes ago.”

“Good, we need to sit down with Mark and start planning for the conference.”

Drew smiled, “Or you could take a break for today and relax?”

She looked over at him, and then looked back over to the board. “And if I do that, the company is sure to fall to pieces. Have you seen the way Luke’s been acting recently?”

“He’s just having a rough time. How do you think I’d feel if you got hurt.”

“You’d be upset…”

“Exactly. He’s probably just trying to take his mind off of it. Plus he does work over in Elysium, so he’s not up to date on everything at all times. How did Mark react?”

Erica sighed, “Shocked, considering the fact that he thought Luke was dead.”

“Understandable. Anyways, you should consider taking a break. You don’t want to overwork yourself.”

“I’ll be fine, don’t worry.” She sighed.

He wrapped his arms around her waist, leaning his head on her shoulder. “Emma…take a break.”

“God, you’re just as annoying as Luke sometimes.”

“Oh am I?” He asked, gently kissing her neck.

“Andrew...please.”

There was a knock at the door and Tyler let himself in. He panted, and Erica looked over. 

“Did you feel the need to run all the way here?” She said, shrugging Andrew off.

“Of course not.” He spoke, while still breathing heavily. 

“You do know there’s an elevator right? It’s just next to-”

“It’s about Katt. She’s-”


	3. Summer Days

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Take a look into how Erica runs he company, and just how stressful it can be. Sometimes you just need a vacation...

Tyler choked out the sentence in between breaths of air. “It’s Katt… she’s awake.”

Erica took a step back, “Are you sure?”

He nodded, “Nick just texted me.”

After a few moments, she smiled. “That’s good. Hopefully she’ll get better and can join us soon.”

He sat down and caught his breath, and a knock came from the door. 

Erica looked over as Mark walked in, followed by Luke, who was silent. “I don’t recall asking you two to come back.”

“That’s because I did.” Tyler said, sitting up straight in the chair. “We’re supposed to be having our meeting, now that I’m here.”

He stood up and stretched, as Erica glared at him. “Last I checked they were my employees.”

“We should get going! Mark, you can follow me.”

“Oh where are we going?” Mark asked, as Tyler began to walk out of the room. Luke followed behind, and Erica grabbed a folder off of her desk. Drew looked over at her, “You coming?”

She nodded and grabbed her cup, taking a sip. “Yeah, go on ahead.”

He left and she sighed, taking a moment to herself. She straightened the folder underneath her arm and left, catching up with Drew in the hallway. He looked over at her, “You okay?”

“I’m fine.”

Drew wrapped an arm around her waist, “Aww someone is grumpy.” 

She shook him off, “Not now.” 

They walked into the room, and Tyler walked up to the large board, turning it on. An hour or two passed before the meeting was finally over, and Erica headed back to her office. She sighed and sat on the couch, tossing the folders onto the table. She pulled her laptop over and started typing away, before a voice spoke behind her. 

“Erica, can we talk?”

“What is this about Lukas?” She said, not looking over.

“Look, I’m sorry about earlier. I’ve just had a hard time adjusting, and I’m not really handling it all that well.”

“I understand, I apologize for being harsh.”

“Thank you. Is there anything you wanted me to do before I left for today?”

Erica shook her head, “You can go.”

He walked away, quietly closing the door behind him. After a few moments, the door opened and a pair of arms wrapped around her shoulders.

“You’re still working? You you realize what time it is, right?”

She nodded, “Yes. And your point?”

“You’re going to burn yourself out if you aren’t careful.”

“I’ll be fine. Aren’t you going home soon?”

“Not without you.” He said, leaning his head on her shoulder. “What are you working on anyways?”

“I was fixing some of Ava’s code.”

“But the release is in a month, you’ve got time.”

She shrugged and looked over at her desk. “Ava. Run a test.”

A female voice surrounded them, “What shall I test for Miss Ruvian?”

“Any bugs or malfunctions in the program.”

“Of course. Please give me a few minutes to analyze.”

Erica sighed and Drew walked around, taking her laptop, and setting it on the table. 

“And what do you think you’re doing?” She asked.

He handed her the cup from earlier, “You left this in the meeting room. Take a break, at least for a few minutes.”

“Fine.” She said, taking the cup from him. He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close.

The two sat in silence, but was shortly interrupted. “I found seven bugs, and one malfunction. Would you like me to run another test?”

“No that won’t be necessary.” Erica said.

After a few seconds she groaned, and picked up her laptop. She started typing away and sighed, Drew looked over at her worriedly. 

“Why are you stressing out about this?”

“Have you not seen the reviews? People are upset Ava’s been offline for maintenance this long. Last thing I need it for it to have bugs when it launches.”

“It will be fine, that’s why you have us here.” He smiled.

She didn’t reply, and kept typing away on her laptop. After a few minutes, Drew sighed and reached over, closing her laptop.

“What was that for?”

“It’s getting late. We should get going.”

She began to open her laptop once more, but he shut it again and she glared at him. “You’re not being helpful. I’ve got to get this done.”

He put his hands on her shoulders, “Emma listen to me. You need to take a break.”

She shrugged him off and stood up, “And I said I'm fine. Go home without me.”

Erica walked over to her desk and sat down, opening her laptop. He sighed and left, slamming the door behind him. He arrived home shortly after and plopped down onto the couch turning the TV on. The minutes turned into hours, and before he knew it, the sun was starting to rise.

He sighed, knowing she still wasn’t home, and got up. After a few minutes, he sat back down on the couch, taking a sip of his coffee. His phone rang and he picked it up, while holding it to his ear.

“Hey Drew. Have you heard from Emma?” Tyler asked.

“How should I know? All she does is work anyways.”

“Ahh did you two have a fight?”

He shrugged, “I wouldn’t call it a fight.”

“So I take it she’s not home yet.”

Drew was silent and Tyler sighed, “I’ll go check. Talk to you in a bit?”

“Yeah, talk to you soon.” He said, hanging up the phone. Drew sighed and sank into the couch, while switching the channels on the TV. Some time later, his phone rang and he picked it up.

“What’s up?”

Tyler’s voice was frantic as he spoke, “Is she at home with you?”

“No, why?”

“Emma's-"”


End file.
